ITV apologizes for ‘I’m a Celebrity’ rat killing

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken action against two celebrity contestants for apparently killing, cooking and eating a rat on ITV1's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. Gino D'Acampo, the eventual winner of I'm a Celebrity and contestant Stuart Manning both face criminal charges for animal cruelty. According to Chief Inspector David O'Shannessy, of the New South Wales RSPCA, 'There is a code of conduct in New South Wales that dictates how animals can be used. The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable.' ITV has apologized and has vowed to change the show's guidelines to ensure it won't happen again.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken action against two celebrity contestants that apparently killing, cooking and eating a rat on ITV1′s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. Gino D’Acampo, the eventual winner of I’m a Celebrity and contestant Stuart Manning both face criminal charges for animal cruelty. According to Chief Inspector David O’Shannessy, of the New South Wales RSPCA, ‘There is a code of conduct in New South Wales that dictates how animals can be used. The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable.’ ITV has apologized and has vowed to change the show’s guidelines to ensure it won’t happen again.

About The Author

Daniele Alcinii is a news editor at realscreen, the leading international publisher of non-fiction film and television industry news and content. He joined the RS team in 2015 with experience in journalism following a stint out west with Sun Media in Edmonton's Capital Region, and with communications work in Melbourne, Australia and Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter at @danielealcinii.